Who does, in fact, need that fascist groove thang?

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Neither Fire Engines nor Heaven 17. Obviously, everyone else who hasn't declared their opposition to fascist groove thangs has capitulated.

But the song is stuck in my head!

― I eat cannibals, Tuesday, 8 May 2007 02:38 (nineteen years ago)

According to Heaven 17, the US public in the 1980's:

Democrats are out of power
Across that great wide ocean
Reagan's president elect
Fascist god in motion
Generals tell him what to do
Stop your good time dancing
Train their guns on me and you
Fascist thang advancing

Plus ca change?

― moley, Tuesday, 8 May 2007 02:42 (nineteen years ago)

Laibach, amirite?

― The Reverend, Tuesday, 8 May 2007 04:26 (nineteen years ago)

Bryan Ferry?

― Myonga Vön Bontee, Tuesday, 8 May 2007 04:52 (nineteen years ago)

man those lyrics are so tight

― creme1, Tuesday, 8 May 2007 04:53 (nineteen years ago)

You mean "trite", don't you?

― novaheat, Tuesday, 8 May 2007 04:56 (nineteen years ago)

oh the ironing "novheat"

― creme1, Tuesday, 8 May 2007 05:06 (nineteen years ago)

Glenn Gregory said that they had to do about a hundred takes of the vocal track because he kept corpsing on the line "Hot you ass I feel your power."

― Marcello Carlin, Tuesday, 8 May 2007 06:42 (nineteen years ago)

wither hongro

― JW, Tuesday, 8 May 2007 07:06 (nineteen years ago)

Didn't it have cowbell? I swear it was cowbell.

― King Boy Pato, Tuesday, 8 May 2007 07:39 (nineteen years ago)

A THOUSAND POUNDS FOR A COWBELL?

― Marcello Carlin, Tuesday, 8 May 2007 07:51 (nineteen years ago)

Wasn't the whole thing done as a sort of irony/joke at the time? It seems to have evolved into a "take at face value" classic. Bit like "Lonely this christmas" in that way...

― Mark G, Tuesday, 8 May 2007 08:46 (nineteen years ago)

Putting the ironic slant on "Lonely This Christmas" was a terrible thing to do.

The idea IIRC was to cross the Pop Group's "How Much Longer Must We Tolerate Mass Murder?" with "Shake Your Groove Thang" by those Peaches and Herb, but the underlying sentiment they meant all right.

Apparently they hired lots of actors for when they went on TOTP to do the song, but since the BBC banned it, the single only went to #45, thus they didn't get on the show, which irked them somewhat.

― Marcello Carlin, Tuesday, 8 May 2007 08:53 (nineteen years ago)

Any idea why BBC banned it? Were they afraid of being sued for Ronald Reagan being called a fascist?

Anyway, the highligh of the "Penthouse And Pavement" album (music and lyrics alike) is "Let's All Make a Bomb".

― Geir Hongro, Tuesday, 8 May 2007 08:58 (nineteen years ago)

Bear in mind this is the same BBC who routinely referred, in chart rundowns, to "Healing" by Marvin Gaye and "I Want" by George Michael.

― Marcello Carlin, Tuesday, 8 May 2007 09:01 (nineteen years ago)

Well, basically anything that expressed any kind of political viewpoint would get 'lots of complaints from angries of Tonbridge' and at that time the BBC were ruled by the complaints process.

(actually, insert "left leaning" before political, although I can't think of too many right leaning tracks, except "Let's Work" Jagger, and that was hardly played tons)..

xpost yeah, Sex was banned as a total rule.

― Mark G, Tuesday, 8 May 2007 09:02 (nineteen years ago)

though BBC TV thought highly enough of the sentiments of "Let's Work" that they gave Jagger three stages on TOTP to perform his number 31 smash.

― Marcello Carlin, Tuesday, 8 May 2007 09:03 (nineteen years ago)

(nb: can POTP do 1987 soonish so that we can hear Dale referring to "Let's Work" as a "good single, though"?)

― Marcello Carlin, Tuesday, 8 May 2007 09:04 (nineteen years ago)

(One of the dancers on that 3 stages thing was a friend of mine, Jagger: "I paid xxx loads a dosh for a dance routine, and he gives me 3 stages and 'strut from one to the other!!!")

and the week after it crashed down from 31 (I thought it was 41, going against the "no non-top40 tracks" policy? Anyroad, close bracket carry on) to somewhere deep sixty.

― Mark G, Tuesday, 8 May 2007 09:10 (nineteen years ago)

ah just checked, yr right as always

― Mark G, Tuesday, 8 May 2007 09:10 (nineteen years ago)

"According to Heaven 17, the US public in the 1980's:"

Not just the US public:

History will repeat itself
Crisis point were near the hour
Counterforce will do no good
Hot you ass I feel your power
Hitler proves that funky stuff
Is not for you and me girl
Europes an unhappy land
Theyve had their fascist groove thang

― Stewart Osborne, Tuesday, 8 May 2007 10:50 (nineteen years ago)

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